Can anyone point me to a good photo editor so I can crop some photos. I took some pictures of my setup last night in normal mode and the pics are still 650x650....I seem to be having difficulty loading any pics on this site.
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Saleen SC, JBA, Granatelli CA's, Eaton Posi,CAI, Alum. Drvsft, 3.73's Nitto 555r's 473RWHP/452RWTQ and a maxed out Visa to go with the pissed off wife.
Saleen SC, JBA, Granatelli CA's, Eaton Posi,CAI, Alum. Drvsft, 3.73's Nitto 555r's 473RWHP/452RWTQ and a maxed out Visa to go with the pissed off wife.
I can see where youre coming from on the scotch locks... I dont think it will be a problem on the inside of the car... Ive used them before without any issues. Its when people use them to do things like wiring trailers that they almost always end in a catestrophic failure. Soldering is best, but a good crimped on butt ****e usually works pretty well too.
OK, I will give you guys the use of scotch locks as not the best but it's not like I'm going for audiophile here. I don't see a big problem with using them just to grab off the rear speakers for low bass inputs or to grab off a 12v to use as a turn on lead. I've done my fair share of sound systems and normally I do use heatshrink and a butane soldering iron. If it was for speaker wires (not for a sub), I agree 100% not to use the scotch locks.
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ORIGINAL: 07SCGT
Can anyone point me to a good photo editor so I can crop some photos. I took some pictures of my setup last night in normal mode and the pics are still 650x650....I seem to be having difficulty loading any pics on this site.
http://www.mustangforums.com/m_3335125/tm.htm I use paint.net for my basic stuff and it works well enough. You can also try and save things as a .gif and instead of a jpg and that will free up some space too.
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ORIGINAL: TacoBill
Excellent write-up my young Apprentice!
It was very well written and all the steps in logical order. What I try to accomplish in my write-ups is for anyone to view the steps and perform the mod or install. No matter how simple or obvious a step is, I still spell it out, just like what you did on disconnecting the battery.
Again, good job!
Thanks, that means a lot! There were a couple of times I was writing and had a picture (like the disconnecting the negative terminal of the battery) that I wasn't going to use because it was "too obvious" but at the last minute threw in. It may be "too obvious" if you've done it before, but why not remind people?
I just used your installing the FRPP Stingers How To a couple of weekends ago to install my Corsa's. While the corsa directions were very good (I've heard some that aren't), yours still had good info that I was glad I read.
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07 Black GT - Manual 35% Tint, GT500 rear spoiler, 3dCarbon Front Lip Corsa Crew Member
"The easiest way beside a multimeter to tell if you have a bad ground is to start the car and drive it around with the speaker volume set to minimum 2-3 on the volume. If you here alternator whine and or your amp constantly cuts out or shuts off, then you have a bad ground. No alternator whine, or cutting out means you "most likely" don't have a ground loop failure. "
Thats also a easy and quick way to draw way too much current from down the low level inputs and toast the amp - driving around with a bad ground wire on the amp, that is. The only place for the amp to get its ground without the ground hooked up is down the RCA low level connections. It can also kill the output of the head unit. But to each his own. Keep on giving the good advice there 07SCGT. I guess you have a few hundred installs under your belt?
"OK, I will give you guys the use of scotch locks as not the best but it's not like I'm going for audiophile here. I don't see a big problem with using them just to grab off the rear speakers for low bass inputs or to grab off a 12v to use as a turn on lead. I've done my fair share of sound systems and normally I do use heatshrink and a butane soldering iron. If it was for speaker wires (not for a sub), I agree 100% not to use the scotch locks. "
Scotchlocks are insulation displacement connectors. They suck on stranded wire as the round wire is forced into a narrow slot and deformed. Give it time and vibration and the wire you tapped into will eventually break.
"The easiest way beside a multimeter to tell if you have a bad ground is to start the car and drive it around with the speaker volume set to minimum 2-3 on the volume. If you here alternator whine and or your amp constantly cuts out or shuts off, then you have a bad ground. No alternator whine, or cutting out means you "most likely" don't have a ground loop failure. "
Thats also a easy and quick way to draw way too much current from down the low level inputs and toast the amp - driving around with a bad ground wire on the amp, that is. The only place for the amp to get its ground without the ground hooked up is down the RCA low level connections. It can also kill the output of the head unit. But to each his own. Keep on giving the good advice there 07SCGT. I guess you have a few hundred installs under your belt?
In all the years I have been into car audio I have always been able to tell right away when I have a faulty ground by hearing alternator whine, pops, clips amp cutting out etc. I don't know about your setup, I know that my inputs are all 4 guage going to each amps power, and 4 guage for each ground. My amps won't even turn on if my ground connection is lose in the slightest, (which I always mount directly to the trunk floor after taking a wire brush and removing the paint). Maybe some of the cheaper amps will allow a ground connection through RCA's, mine however do not, nor have I heard of this happening.
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Saleen SC, JBA, Granatelli CA's, Eaton Posi,CAI, Alum. Drvsft, 3.73's Nitto 555r's 473RWHP/452RWTQ and a maxed out Visa to go with the pissed off wife.
I run fully balanced inputs on all my amps and there is zero external noise so your method of checking for a bad ground would not work for me. I really like the voltage drop method. No driving around listening for noises and such. Its right there in your face, the voltage drop on the meter. Mine has min/max/avg storage readings for getting those really fast readings that cant be seen by a LCD multimeter.
And just how did you use that multimeter to check the ground connection? With the Ohms setting? Or did you do a voltage drop test from the amp ground input to the negative post on the battery? I need more info on this correct way you did things.
How about an answer Aziraphale? Call me a basher and wont even answer questions? Where of where did you go??
I wouldn't want the pay cut. I like affording all my toys, and not having any car, truck (an 05 Avalanche), 07atv Polaris, 06 Victory Hammer motorcycle and toy hauler payments.
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Saleen SC, JBA, Granatelli CA's, Eaton Posi,CAI, Alum. Drvsft, 3.73's Nitto 555r's 473RWHP/452RWTQ and a maxed out Visa to go with the pissed off wife.
what's BMOC, sorry I'm not hip on the lingo so I can't answer you.
As far as input buffering, not sure what your talking about (power conditioning or signal) Power conditioning I have Yellowtop Optima rated 850 CC amps, 00 gauge wiring, going into 4 1farad caps. Signal buffering My source is a kenwood excelon with 5 volt output going into a 13 band Alpine EQ. It also keeps the voltage to 5volts on the RCA's. Which is perfect for my PPI's which can only handle 5 volts on the input.
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Saleen SC, JBA, Granatelli CA's, Eaton Posi,CAI, Alum. Drvsft, 3.73's Nitto 555r's 473RWHP/452RWTQ and a maxed out Visa to go with the pissed off wife.
The actual semiconductor devices for the audio inputs. What chip does your PPIs use to buffer the audio inputs. You stated that your amps dont allow ground thru the audio inputs. How do your amps go about doing this.
OK guys, relax, there is no need to have an argument here. We get it, 157db, you like your car audio and obviously at least know something about it. I do believe I stated this wasn't supposed to be an advanced install. This was mainly to show routing of wires and how I did mine. If you guys want to argue about little nit pick things, take it to a new thread. There is no reason to junk up this one. I was just trying to help out some poeple and give ideas.
As for answering your question, after I ran the power wire, I connected it and the ground tab to the multimeter. It pulled 12v through so I just let it be. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't some stupid tab that wasn't actually grounded. It was grounded, so I moved on with life. I dont' hear any whine or anything so I'm ok with it.
For the record, I called you a basher because that's exactly what you did. You bashed the setup without following it up with info on why. I have no need for that, it's useless to everyone. Follow it up with good info and I have no problem eating my own words. No need for an e-wang swinging contest here.
< Message edited by Aziraphale -- 6/5/2007 9:28:09 PM >
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07 Black GT - Manual 35% Tint, GT500 rear spoiler, 3dCarbon Front Lip Corsa Crew Member
I agree with both of you and it is a very viable option and a rather easy one and the wire will be protected very well. Thanks for the write up it is great and 07SCGT I love the last part of the sig ...and a maxed out VISA! Same here and working 60+ hours a week to beat the Joneses and my own time line for everything on this beast! JMO j
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ORIGINAL: 07SCGT
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ORIGINAL: lundis
im going to disagree with your methods, but i may be talking out of my ass since i do not yet own a mustang (waiting for 08)
i NEVER install power wires through the wheel well. ive seen too many wires corrode and cause shorts (and therefore, fires) from that. i always run it through the firewall, through the main grommet. if there is no grommet (im not sure on a mustang...but most newer cars have one) then i drill one. this is a difficult method, and best left to pros, but the RIGHT way to do it.
I had my stereo professionally done and they used 00 guage which is the size of your thumb. They too did exactly what this tutorial said (which is go through the whell well behind the cover and punch through the main gromet. Yes they too used a wire loom to house the power cable.
Nice write up BTW. If I had more time and energy after working the 60Hours + a week I would have done it myself, I used to love doing this as a kid. Thank god for sabbaticals, mine coming up this year.....
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2006 Mustang GT with Cervinis Kit Whipple H.O S/C 465 RWHP and 440RWTQ
Posts: 601
Joined: 3/22/2006 From: Detroit Status: offline
Awesome write up. Luckily my amp has built in speaker line inputs so I didn't have to use the RCA adapter. I'm still trying to figure out how my mount my sub box.
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2005 GT Auto SLP Crew Member GT500 Splash Gaurds & Front Lip JCT II CAI & Xcal 2 with Brenspeed tunes - IF YOU OWN A STANG YOU MUST DO THIS MOD!!!!!!!!!
Posts: 2344
Joined: 10/13/2006 From: WEST LOS ANGELES Status: offline
157, you obviously know a bit about car electronics and stereo but you need to lighten up a bit. In almost all your posts you come at people with some sort of rage. Whats with you man? If you got something to share, as you obviously have some good and valid points, try and word it in a way that people who spent time writing up a valuable post wont feel unappreciated and attacked. Like I said earlier, you had some valid points, but after a few disrespectful posts, I just skipped over the rest of your posts and started to lose interest in an otherwise intersting thread, especially now that I myself am getting interested in adding something (audio) to my car.
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RE: How To: Amp Install (w/ Pics! 56k warning) - 
